We have had 2 restful, sun filled days since our visit to Barbados. The ship did dock in Port of Spain, Trinidad for the day after Barbados, but the security situation there just sounded uninviting so we – along with many others – did not go ashore. No idea why Princess continued to put in there because both the US and the UK government websites advise against visiting. We had a lovely day around the pool. The next day was a sea day anyway, so more of the same. We saw another good show in the evening and we also went to a Princess Loyalty Club cocktail party.
But… today was a great day ashore in Aruba! We have been here once before, 8 years ago on a cruise. We went scuba diving then, and we did the same thing today. In fact we dived the same two sites today as then – the large wreck Antilla, and a smaller freighter wreck afterwards. It was lovely diving. The visibility was by no means glassy but it wasn’t too bad and the water temperature meant that we were diving in swimvests. The Antilla is a 400 foot German ship scuttled in 1939 to prevent the allies obtaining the details of her electronic engines. It’s on it’s side and absolutely encrusted in corals and sponges and with lots of sealife all around it. A lovely dive.
The second dive was even better in terms of sea life. The little freighter is blown to many parts and scattered over the ocean floor but there was so much life on it. We saw a barracuda, 2 turtles, the largest puffer fish I’ve ever seen, a green moray, octopi, a slipper lobster, stonefish…. clouds of other tropical fish. Very nice indeed.
After diving, Bob and I stayed on Palm Beach for the afternoon and lay under the palm trees and read. The beaches here are superb. White talcum powder sand and the sea is very very blue. Caribbean islands seem to roughly divide into two types: some, like St Lucia, Barbados, Domenica etc are very green and jungly with narrower beaches tending to the golden. Others like Aruba, Curacao, Cayman, Turks and Caicos are very very flat, quite arid looking with massive white sand beaches.
We got the local bus back to the ship. It cost $3 each. Tonight we ate dinner in the buffet and watched the fountain show on the pool deck. At 9pm every night the centre round platform between the two pools turns into an amazing fountain that performs to music and lights in time with the giant cinema screen. It’s obviously not on a par with the show at the Bellagio in Vegas or in Dubai but very innovative for a cruise ship and fun to watch. We stayed on deck and watched the late night film too.
A good day. We like Aruba.
